Her Sacrifice
by Headfcuked
Summary: After the Kyuubi battle, Minato is given a second chance at life. With the Yondaime still in power, how will Naruto turn out, growing up the son of the Hokage? Slight AU, pairings undecided, capable Naruto
1. Prologue pt1: Defying Fate

Smoke licked at the air in thick plumes around the group, the carnage gradually settling as the remaining villagers and ANBU combined their efforts to extinguish the flames engulfing their home. Kyuubi had been defeated, and the battle won in favour of Konoha. Though the mood was still terse, many had marginally brighter spirits at the realization that their village would survive, tending the blazes with renewed vigour. None of them yet knew the enormous cost of their freedom...

A little ways away, where the climax of the battle had occurred, Gamabunta still stood, so recent was their 'victory' that the wound on the old toads face from the fox still bled slowly. Atop his back, a small group of ninja stood around two more, whose sacrifices turned the tide of the battle and ensured they would live another day. Kneeling, the older, white-haired male rested his palm on the blonds shoulder, gripping it slightly. He didn't speak, knowing that if he did so, his voice would crack. He had practically raised the boy-turned-man from his genin days, and selfish though the thought was, always believed that he would go to his grave knowing he had been responsible for training Konohas greatest Hokage.

All that, it appeared, would be for nothing. Minatos sacrifice was the ultimate one; his life for the Kyuubis imprisonment as a result of the 'Shiki Fuujin' sealing technique. The village would survive, he had reasoned, with the loss of only one more life. Even now, the blond Kage could feel his life ebbing away as he held the whimpering bundle in his arms, the seal on the infants stomach clear as day. He regretted that he would never see his son grow, that he would never be there to support the boy in his life, but as the Hokage his responsibility lay to the village as well...If he could, he _had_ to save them, with whatever means. It added a further sting that the boy would not even have his mother to raise him, and that had made the decision all the harder to make. She, sadly, had died during childbirth brought on during the attack.

Turning slowly to his former sensei, he raised his arm slightly to hand the boy to him, the strain it caused him evident on his face. Putting on a small smile, he would finally speak to him, along with the others that stood around him; the previous Hokage Sarutobi and Tsunade.

"I...guess this is it. The village....is safe now. Please....please protect them all....Make sure they see my son...As the hero he is....."

Without words, both Sarutobi and Jiraiya nodded with somber expressions, allowing the young man his last words without interruption. Tsunade, however, stood with her eyes closed, her fists bunched tightly at her sides as she kneeled down, exhaling slowly. Opening her eyes, she smiled warmly at the young Hokage.

"No."

Her team-mate glared quickly at her, grasping at her jacket and twisting her to face him, "Tsunade, have some respect for kami's sake!"

Oddly, without anger or her usual flash of temper, her eyes turned to the white haired sannin with the same warmth in them, her hand reaching up to wrap around his as she slowly prised it loose, using just enough of her strength to remove his hold. The wetness in her eyes restrained, no longer threatening to escape as she held onto Jiraiyas hand for a moment longer, caused the sannin to blink before speaking.

"Tsunade...?"

With a squeeze of his hand, she let go of him and looked back to Minato.

"He can make sure of it himself....", as the words left her lips, familiar black markings appeared on her face. Sarutobi, having remained quiet until now, spoke almost in unison with Jiraiya at the sight before him. Tsunades injuries from the battle were minor in comparison to most, and she would certainly have no need to activate this particular technique.

"Tsunade, what are you doing!?"

"I can save him." she replied solemnly as she stood again, looking at the aged ninja with a fierce determination in her eyes. Both of the males simply stared in confusion. Even Jiraiya, who had helped Tsunade construct the seal for her ultimate jutsu, couldn't understand her plan. She, however, didn't leave them in the dark for long.

"When we created the 'Sozo Saisei', Jiraiya, it was intended as the perfect healing technique, able to repair even the most hopeless of wounds. That much is of course true, but I experimented with the seal over the years. Mixing medical ninjutsu with the latent regeneration powers of the seal, I discovered another potential technique we didn't expect to come from it."

Both stood with baited breath as she continued, the infant gurgling quietly in one of Jiraiyas arms, "I give up some of my remaining lifespan to activate the seal, as you know, to regenerate my wounds. I started wondering if....if I could transfer the effects of my technique to revive the dead."

Jiraiyas head lowered, his eyes settling on his students unconscious body..."You wanted to bring back Dan and Nawaki, right?"

"It...It started out like that, but I realised that once a body has been dead a certain time, no amount of medical expertise can restore it. Every cell is dead; the body is just....just a husk. Newly dead, the body is still active at a cellular level. The fatal wounds can be repaired and any effects of the death can be reneged if I'm able to act quickly."

"But Minato wasn't killed by a physical injury, Tsunade." the former Hokage spoke up, voicing his thoughts, "It was his very soul being taken that killed him. Surely you can't--"

"Actually...I think I can."

Rising to his feet, Jiraiya turned her enough so he could look at her, the expression on his face enough to speak volumes. "Tsunade..."

Leaning over, gently taking the infant from his former students' arms, Sarutobi edged away from the pair as they stood opposite one another, Jiraiya with a few patches of dried blood littering his person from earlier wounds, and Tsunade with the seals for Sozo Saisei adorning her face. Without another word, the wild-maned sannin drew the blonde into a tight embrace, caring little for the ninja rule that emotions should be discarded at the present moment. Whispering in his ear, Tsunade let her words be heard only to him and nobody else, causing a small prick of tears to break onto his eyes before they were quickly stifled.

"You'd better not go dying anytime soon, you old ass. The boy's going to need a good teacher while his father is busy running the village."

Pushing him away slowly, she knelt down beside Minato and rested her palms on the dead blonds chest and forehead, the familiar green glow of healing chakra emerging for a few seconds before the aura around the pair intensified massively, surrounding both Tsunade and Minato in a near blinding light. Unleashing her chakra in a massive release, Tsunade whispered quietly.

"Fukkou Yuukon..."

Both Jiraiya and Sarutobi were left wincing from the light coming off of Tsunade, shielding their eyes to prevent glare from the brightness that engulfed her and Minato, leaving them out of sight for the next few minutes. It was all they could do to watch for the time being, a horrible feeling rising in the other sannins gut. As the light began to diminish, it was Jiraiya who moved first, dropping down to lift the blonde woman up at the waist, resting her back against his chest.

"Tsunade..." getting no answer, he spoke again, louder."TSUNADE!!!"

A light smack to his leg startled him a little as she leaned her head back to look up at him, "Moron, don't be so loud, I'm right here...."

He sighed, smiling wanly and squeezing the blonde tighter a moment, knowing that she wouldn't live for much longer. The pair knew it, and knew that nothing would benefit trying to fight the inevitable now.

"How?"

"How what, idiot?"

Rolling his eyes at the comment, he carried on. "How did you manage to revive him?"

Smiling up at him, she flicked her eyebrows in a momentary display of amusement despite her weakening body, "Uh-uh, that one's dying with me...Nobody should have such a technique, even I never planned to use it, considering the exchange required."

"Then, why?"

A soft sigh escaped the blonde sannins mouth as she leaned back, her head tilting to look over at Minatos body, "He was willing to give his life for the entire village, for that, he deserves to live more than any of us."

Before she could carry on, a sharp coughing fit took over Tsunade, wrenching her body forward as she gripped her chest weakly and causing Jiraiya to tense up behind her. "Baka, stop worrying about me. I made my choice; this is the way things should be. A son should not outlive his father, the old should not outlive the young...We've had our time in this world. Besides, if I'm lucky...."

Her words trailed off as she smiled softly, a light chuckle leaving her lips before she spoke on, "If I'm lucky, I'll be able to be with Dan and Nawaki again."

Stifling back the emotion he had trained himself not to feel, the white-haired sannin gripped her tighter for a moment, almost unnoticed to anyone as he nodded behind her. "Yeah, you will. I know it, Tsunade." he said through the more laboured breaths he gave as he held back the tears. His teammate, lying near death in his arms, tilted her head back to look at him again. Her face was that of her true image, the older woman she really was, and Jiraiya knew she would leave the living world soon. Her chakra was down to its last reserves, her reversion to this visage the telling point, and the walls in his heart collapsed. Silent tears ran down the sannins face, staining his faintly aged skin as he brought his head forward to embrace Tsunade.

"Goodbye, Jiraiya...."

"No, not yet! Please, Tsunade, not yet!" the sannins argument was futile however, he knew it as did the blonde, and with a turn of her head she planted a kiss on his cheek, one of her hands lightly clasping his forearm.

"Take care of yourself, you old lecher, I'll be...watching over you."

With those words, the legendary sucker and one third of the sennin, Tsunade-hime, closed her eyes for the last time. The grand-daughter of Senju Hashirama, Konohas first Hokage and co-founder, she was renowned as the greatest medical ninja to have lived. Her death fitting of her legacy, her life was lost saving another's; the future of Konohas.

With a furious roar of anger and sadness, Jiraiyas head reared back as he screamed to the heavens, cursing them. Collapsing forward, he clutched at the body of his former teammate as the sobs wracked through his throat. A few minutes passed before he could bring himself to let go of her, and he gently laid her down atop Gamabuntas back, whipping the jacket from his back in a single motion. Draping the cloth over her body, he smoothed it out neatly before turning to his former students form. He had full faith in Tsunades belief she could revive him, but to see the young mans chest rising and falling again, not least after utilising something as powerful as the Shiki Fuujin, he was still stunned for a moment.

_'Only you could defy the Shinigami himself, Tsunade-hime.'_

Smiling at the thought of his team-mate flipping off one of the most powerful otherworldly entities in existence, he approached Minato and kneeled beside him along with Sarutobi, who rejoined the small group. The small bundle in the aged mans arms stirred quietly at the movement before returning to its slumber, and with his free hand, the old man set a palm on Jiraiyas shoulder. Without words, the pair knew what was being said in that moment.

_'Even at the end, her will of fire burned as brightly as it did when she was a child...'_ he thought, curling his arm a little more to contain the boy safely. He too was still stunned by the realisation of his successor living again.

"GAMABUNTA!" Jiraiya yelled sharply.

**"What is it, Jiraiya?"**

"The battle is over, you can return now. Thank you for your help."

**"You're going to owe me some serious amounts of sake for this, brat. Still, it'll be good to rest. Take care for now!"**

With a massive cloud of smoke, the frog dispersed himself as Jiraiya formed a single kage bunshin to lift Minatos body, the original lifting Tsunade himself as they landed on the ground. Immediately, a number of ANBU appeared around them, dropping to a knee in the presence of two Hokages and two of the sannin in respect.

"Jiraiya-sama, what are your orders? We have contained the flames, the last of the civilians are evacuated to safety as well." one of them said quickly behind his 'dog' mask. The white haired man knew it was the son of Konohas white fang behind it, Kakashi Hatake.

"We have won, 'Inu', the Kyuubi has been defeated. Have your men run damage control, gather up the injured and have them brought to the hospital.", he replied sullenly, knowing that he had to issue an order despite his grief.

"Hai, Jiraiya-sama.", and with those words the group flashed off in various directions in search of the wounded, with the exception of Inu who stayed where he was.

"You have your orders, ANBU, carry them out." Jiraiya said sternly before Inu rose back to his feet, bowing slowly.

"Forgive me, Jiraiya-sama, but is Tsunade-sama not injured herself, as well as Hokage-sama? I can take them to the hospital for you if you wish."

Mentally slapping himself, the white-haired sannin shook his head. "That will not be necessary. The Hokage has no serious injuries and will require only some bed-rest; I will escort him myself...."

Nodding, Kakashi was about to inquire further about Tsunade before he saw Sarutobi shake his head from just behind Jiraiya. Paling behind his mask, he nodded again and shunshined away quickly.

"We'll have to make an announcement soon, Jiraiya. People will need to know what happened." Resting a hand on Jiraiyas shoulder, Sarutobi spoke in a hushed tone as he stepped up to stand aside his former student.

Lowering his head, the toad-sennin agreed silently as he looked into the face of the blonde woman in his arms. She looked so peaceful, as if she was just sleeping....

_'But you're not going to wake up, Tsunade, are you..?'_

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_The next day: Konoha hospital_

The figure in the bed twitched slowly, the light coming in from the uncovered window shining onto his face enough to disturb his rest. Pulling the cover over his head, he turned from the light and lay comfortably again before his eyes snapped open.

_'Wait...'_

Throwing the light blanket off his form quickly, he sat bolt upright and blinked, looking down at himself. Prodding his legs and stomach, he stared at his hands in confusion, trying to make some sense of the situation.

_'I'm...alive!? Did I somehow get the sealing wrong? Naruto!!'_

Before he could lunge from the bed, however, a voice from the other side of the room froze him in his tracks.

"You're not dreaming, Minato. You're quite alive, and so is Naruto. The sealing went perfectly."

Shifting himself to look over his shoulder at his former sensei sitting on the window ledge, the blonde furrowed his brow silently before shifting to sit fully on the bed again, crossing his legs under him. "How, though? The Shiki Fuujin should have taken my life, but I'm here. What happened?" he asked before noting the slight drop in the sennins expression.

"You actually _did_ die, so the technique was executed perfectly in that regard, but...."

The hesitation in his former sensei's words made his blood run cold. Few things could make Jiraiya do such a thing, and Minato knew immediately something serious was wrong.

"Jiraiya-sensei, tell me."

Sighing, the white-haired man nodded. "Tsunade used a technique I've never seen before, something she developed as a side-effect of her Sozo Saisei seal. She gave up her life to revive you. I don't know how she did it, but she did."

Hanging his head, his eyes closed, the younger blond shook for a moment as his fingers clenched at the sheet under him. His knuckles white from the action, he didn't lift his head back up as he spoke. "I'm sorry, Jiraiya-sensei. I truly am...--", he stopped, interrupted by a swift, but half-hearted strike to the back of his head.

"What can you apologise for? Tsunade made this choice of her own volition; none of us knew that she could do what she did. Be happy you're alive, and that you can ensure your son grows up seen as a hero. Speaking of which, Sarutobi-sama has the boy at his family's compound, we figured that with his son and wife at home just now, he would be in better hands there than anywhere else until you woke up."

"I want to see him, Jiraiya."

Nodding, the white-haired sennin gestured with his head over at a small cabinet on the other side of the room. "I asked for your housekeeper to deliver fresh clothing for you, they're in there. I'll wait outside for you."

Shifting back and leaping from the ledge, Jiraiya left his former student to dress in privacy as he dropped down to the ground in front of the hospital. Almost as an afterthought, he reached for his coat and fished out a photograph, leaning against the stone wall as he looked at it solemnly. On it, he and Tsunade were hanging off of each other in a rather drunken state, clearly having enjoyed a ridiculous amount of sake. His mind flashed back as he remembered (vaguely, of course. Nobody drinks that much and keeps a clear memory) that they'd been celebrating the end of the Iwa-Konoha conflict. Minato had been the one to take the picture, if memory served, but by the time it was taken, he was surprised he could remain standing.

_'Good times, Tsunade-hime. Good times.'_

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Leaping across rooftops with a clear measure of haste in their step, the pair approached the Sarutobi estate in relative silence. Silence on Minatos part for his impatience to see his son, and on Jiraiyas for his contemplative mood. Normally, the journey would have been about half an hour by walking, but with their increased pace, not to mention the roof-hopping, they would make it in no more than ten. Even from here, they could see the roof of the estate, and Minatos pace instinctively picked up a little more.

_'My son...'_

The more he thought about it, the more he knew he should embrace the fact he was still alive. His wife had died, and while he had yet to properly grieve for her, his priority rested with the child he had believed he would never see. Now, he would be able to do just that.

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Letting the pair into the house, Sarutobi stepped to the side to let them past him, "Come in, Naruto just woke up, my daughter-in-law was just getting him dressed so you've got perfect timing."

Giving a courteous nod to the former Hokage, Minato walked slowly with Jiraiya beside him as the aged man led them through the house to a sizeable lounge. In it, a couple sat with a small infant cooing away in front of them on a blanket, its little arms reaching in exploration to the world around him, settling to grasp at the blanket he lay on. A smile crept onto the new fathers face at the shock of blond hair and impossibly blue eyes, framing a face marred only by the three darkened scars of what could be best described as....whiskers? Taking a few steps into the room, his eyes never left the infant even as the couple spoke to him. Giving a distracted smile and raise of a hand to them, he kneeled down and lifted up his son, staring at him all the more.

"My boy...My little Naruto...."

The smile this time was all the warmer as the most powerful ninja in all of Konoha was reduced to the same mental state as all new fathers. Nothing around him registered as he held the boy until one of the pudgy little hands reached out and clasped onto a few locks of the Hokages hair, tugging at it and startling his father back to the conscious world. Blinking, he shifted his arms to hold the infant out a little from him and grinned.

"You're a feisty little guy, aren't you? Just like your mother, that's for sure. Would you like to meet your godfather? I bet you would, oh yes, you would." he laughed softly as he turned to Jiraiya, smiling and approaching his former sensei before carefully handing the boy to him. With a shift of his arms, the toad-sennin cradled the infant lightly and waggled a finger in front of the boys face to amuse him, inciting him to reach out and grab it, something the child managed with little difficulty. When the boy's hands began to reach up, straining for something out of reach, Jiraiya stopped for a moment, puzzled, and looked over his shoulder in search of what the boy was reaching for. Behind him, though, was a plain wall. Nothing to catch a child's eye, unless....

"Is it...this you like?" he said, more to himself as he reached up and angled his unique hitai-ate, letting the shimmer of light roll across it and causing the boy to gurgle in contentment. The wild-haired sennin chuckled at the reaction and leaned his head down to let Naruto reach out and palm the metal. Once the boy's curiosity was sated, he leaned back and handed him to his father once more. The light moment invariably had to be brought to an end however, and the three men sat.

Sarutobi spoke first, exhaling a quiet sigh as he did so, "ANBU reported to me that most of the civilian evacuees have been returned to their homes now that the fires are extinguished and the danger spots from demolished buildings are cleared. We can't hold off on announcing what has happened any longer, Minato. The people need to know."

A sullen look in his eye, the young Hokage nodded, "Agreed. We'll do it this afternoon, and after that begin preparations for the memorial service for the fallen."

The reminder of Tsunades death caused Jiraiya to tense up, and his lips drew thin as he thought about it. Regardless, now was not the time for his personal grief. He nodded his acquiescence, and with a quick flare of chakra an ANBU soldier shunshined into the room. He noticed that it was Kakashi again, under his 'Inu' guise. Tilting his head briefly, the ANBU dropped to a knee out of respect in the presence of his Hokage, speaking to the white-haired sennin.

"You summoned me, Jiraiya-sama? How can I be of assistance?"

"Have the entire village gathered later today at the Hokage tower, four o'clock. Make this a priority. After that, have word sent for the council to gather at five in the meeting chambers."

"Hai."

"That will be all, thank you. Dismissed."

With a small 'poof', the ANBU disappeared to carry out his orders, and the three men rose from their seats in silent acknowledgement of the task ahead, the only noise the burbling and cooing of the infant in the blond Hokages arms.

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_Hokage Tower, 4pm_

Tugging and adjusting the robes, he paced loosely in the office as he steadied his nerve. For all of his renown as a ninja, the 'Yellow Flash of Konoha' had yet to get used to this aspect of his duty. His first speech from the tower, he'd come close to throwing up beforehand, and that was just, effectively, to say "Hi, I'm the new Hokage!". This time, he had to somehow tell his village that they had lost one of the greatest ninja ever to grace it. Leaning against the desk, he took a few long breaths before looking over at the open doors to the balcony, then the clock hanging on an adjacent wall.

_'Three minutes...Kami, how did Sarutobi do this so easily?'_

Closing his eyes, he sighed and tilted his head back, knowing he couldn't keep the jitters for too much longer. He also remembered feeling better once he'd actually _gotten_ out there and started speaking...

Picking the hat from the desk, something he still thought was very cool even from his youth, he set it on his head and took a look at his reflection in the glass door to the balcony. It was now or never, and he stepped out near enough exactly at four pm.

The noise was booming, absolutely unreal to think of when you were in the crowd and a part of it, but to stand on the balcony and look down at the mass of people, to have it directed at you, made it feel all the louder. He humoured the first few moments of the noise before raising his hands out, hushing down the crowd who cheered for their savior.

"People of Konoha, you have been called here to hear this with your own ears. I ask that you hold your words...."

Clearing his throat quietly, he began to speak again clearly, utilising a simple jutsu to allow his voice to carry further.

"Two days ago, the most powerful of the nine bijuu; the Kyuubi no Kitsune, attacked our village. We were lucky enough to have seen it coming, and were able to evacuate the majority of the civilians before it even graced our walls. During the attack, we lost many ninja, but in the end we were victorious and defeated the beast."

Cheers began to emanate through the crowd as a few of the rowdier citizens decided to express their...joy.

"In the process, along with a number of ANBU and jounin, one other ninja lost their life. It pains me to tell you all, but Senju Tsunade of the legendary sannin is among the fallen--"

Before he could continue, the murmuring had grown to a ripple of incredulity and barely contained sadness. Surely not one of the sannin, the three Konoha ninja believed to be easily as strong as the Hokage?

"QUIET!", he forced the words out roughly, causing the crowd to ebb down again, and he continued. "Tsunade _is_ dead, and Tsunade gave her life to save my own, bringing me back from death itself with a unique jutsu only she knew. She is one of two heroes that will be honoured for this battle. The other....As I stated before, the Kyuubi is _defeated_, however it was not killed--"

At this point he was able to accept the fact the crowd would kick up a loud murmur, but with his hands held out he once again silenced them, this was going to be the hardest part..."The Kyuubi, a being of pure chakra as it was, was not something that could be simply removed from existence. Instead, the Kyuubi has been sealed away, its powers nullified and its threat negated, into a newborn. The seal is known as the 'Shiki Fuujin', and to put simply, seals away the essence of its target at the price of the essence of the executor. Only Tsunade managed to trump the death god himself, hence why I stand here before you."

The silence was eerie for the moment, the crowd rapt as they waited for their Hokage to conclude what he was saying. Taking a breath, he silently thanked that none of them had lost the plot upon hearing that the demon fox had been sealed into a child. Likely the effect of it coming from his mouth, he mused, but he had no doubt that the council would have more to say about the matter. Still, he concentrated on the crowd for the moment.

"Konoha honours two great heroes amongst all those who gave their lives in this time of mourning. The first is Senju Tsunade, who sacrificed her life to save my own, an act so great that nothing I do in life can ever repay her. The second..."

One last breath before he forced himself to say it...

"The second is the child who will live as the jailor to the Kyuubi, Namikaze Naruto, my son..."

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A/N:

Fukkou Yuukon - Revival of lost souls

There's a second part to this prologue I'm finishing up at the moment, it should be posted up in the next day or so I think. If people show enough interest I'll continue the story. ^^


	2. Prologue pt2: Farewell

A/N: Honestly, I'm surprised at the quick attention paid to this. So, in light of that, I -will- continue the story. I hope you will enjoy what comes, and in response to a couple of reviews I should point out that whilst I said no pairings had been decided, I will NOT be making this a harem fic. I do prefer NaruHina, but who knows, maybe I'll write NaruSaku just to mess with you all. :P

What a way to make fans. Kill off Tsunade before the story even starts, and threaten to mess with pairings. Oh, I'm a glutton for punishment!

Oh, and to dan01, who requested that Minato not be downgraded to 'weak jounin', don't worry, he'll not be a weakling here.

So, chapter 2, the second part of the prologue. It's nowhere near as long as the first, but it was just to close things up and get me ready to start writing the actual story. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any related media. Property of Kishimoto. Blahblahblah.

**_Previously…_**

_"Konoha honours two great heroes amongst all those who gave their lives in this time of mourning. The first is Senju Tsunade, who sacrificed her life to save my own, an act so great that nothing I do in life can ever repay her. The second..."_

_One last breath before he forced himself to say it..._

_"The second is the child who will live as the jailor to the Kyuubi, Namikaze Naruto, my son..."_

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Minato couldn't have expected any better or worse from the villagers, to be honest. Most of them looked up to the Hokage tower where he stood with a mixture of fear and trepidation at his last words. The Kyuubi was, technically, alive. Merely contained within an infant. Thankfully, someone spoke up, and he was eternally grateful that the faceless man did so.

"Hokage-sama! How can you be sure the demon will remain trapped!? Why a child? How can we rest in our beds knowing that the only thing restraining the most powerful of the tailed beasts is a mere child!? Surely there was no shortage of shinobi who would have withstood this burden!?"

A brief smile crept onto the Yondaimes face as he responded, "I understand your concerns, but remember that it is the _seal_ that will hold back the Kyuubi first and foremost. A child, specifically a newborn, needed to be the container because of the sheer volume of chakra being absorbed. An adults chakra coils would have been obliterated by the force of the Kyuubis essence, while a child hasn't yet developed those coils and thus, is more likely to survive. This was not an easy choice for me to make, but I had to consider one thing; if I couldn't bring myself to have my own son bear this burden, how could I ask any of you to do so?"

Much of the murmurs of discontent began to fade at that. The realisation of what he was saying coming to light. Their Hokage had chosen to have his own bloodline bear this burden, not any of theirs. When he could have ordered the usage of any newborn from the night of the attack, and anyone keen to find out would know that there were three other children born in Konoha on that night, Minato had instead taken his own son. As much as they wanted to be fearful, they couldn't help but admire the sacrifice made for them.

"Thank you all for your patience. Our village will come back from this tragedy stronger than before, we will persevere, we will survive, and we will stand taller than we ever have! For Konoha!!" he cried, his voice growing in strength and volume as he pumped his fist into the air, and could barely contain the shiver at seeing the crowd return the gesture as vigorously as he had.

"FOR KONOHA!!"

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Having returned the ceremonial robes back to the hanger used for them in the office, Minato had quickly slipped away through the far side of the building after leaving the crowd, utilising a Hiraishin to appear back at the Sarutobi estate where his son was being looked after in the meanwhile. Having left one of his trademark kunai with them, it would make it easier for him to keep Naruto out of sight from the council for the time being whilst being able to get to him in an instant. No doubt convincing them would be a far greater task, and on top of that was Danzou…

Despite the appearances made by the one-armed man as one who had only the best wishes for Konoha in mind, Minato was no fool. He didn't get to be Hokage on his good looks, and he was also very aware of the old mans lingering anger at having been passed over for Hokage not once, but twice. If anyone would try to manipulate the situation, it would be him.

Giving a light wave to the old ninja who had arrived back shortly, Sarutobi handed him the infant.

"We meet with the council in half an hour. Are you ready for them?" he asked, brushing down his robes swiftly and taking his seat once more, gesturing for Minato to do the same. As the blond took his chair, resting his son in the crook of his arm, he sighed.

"I guess so. It's Danzou I'm worried about, but we're just going to have to take it as it comes now."

Nodding, the two men sat in silence for a few moments, both with their attention on the boy in Minatos lap. When it became clear that the blond wasn't about to speak again, Sarutobi broke the silence.

"The seal….It doesn't just hold back the Kyuubi, does it?"

Shaking his head, Minato exhaled slowly. "No…"

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The quiet murmur of the council chambers echoed in the large room, the wide table seating heads of all the major clans along with Koharu and Homura, and lastly Danzou. Standing before them, Minato stood as they discussed amongst themselves the situation at hand.

Tsume Inuzuka was currently making her argument heard, her voice growing until it was almost a yell, "How can we be truly certain the seal will hold? Surely an examination by the seal-master Jiraiya would be the best solution for now!"

Sarutobi, without breaking a beat, spoke out swiftly. "That will not be necessary. Minato was not the sole creator of the Shiki Fuujin seal, Jiraiya both assisted and oversaw the creation, and has already carried out examination of the seal on the child. There is nothing to suggest any signs of possible deterioration."

At least partly sated, though still not fully convinced, the head of the dog-ninja furrowed her brow and took her seat with a barely audible growl. Most of the council had only bartered back and forth with one question, and it fell to Uchiha Fugaku to ask it. Rising from his chair, the obsidian eyes glaring directly at his Hokage, he spoke.

"Even if we _are_ to believe the boys seal will hold, we're talking about a Jinchuuriki here. The Kyuubi might not escape, but how can we be certain that he will not influence the child? A being as malevolent as the nine-tailed fox, how can we be sure of the villages safety?"

Before Minato or Sarutobi could speak however, three other people rose almost as one. Hyuuga Hiashi, Nara Shikaku and Aburame Shibi stood, facing in toward the Uchiha head. It was no hidden truth that whilst the clan was revered as one of Konohas most powerful, their overall superiority and arrogance drove many to a deep seated dislike for them. As for the Hyuuga, well, they had their own reasons for disliking the sharingan users.

"It's logical to have that concern, but let us examine the principal issue at hand, Fugaku," Shikaku spoke first, holding a hand up to stay the other two from their remarks for a moment. Neither objected, not when a Nara began to speak. Their reasoning and logistic thinking was beyond excellent; no surprise they produced some of the best strategists in the village…"The child is young, right now he is no threat to anyone in this village, that much we can agree on, yes?"

A general wave of acquiescence rippled, some reluctantly, some without so much as a flicker of hesitation, and without allowing anyone to interject Shikaku continued, "With the proper training and upbringing, the boy will be no different to any other potential young ninja."

The Aburame head chose this moment to speak himself, his muted words faint behind the collar of his coat as he adjusted the black glasses on his face. "Also, if we consider that the seal binds both the boy and the demon together, the possibility lies that the child could access the fox's chakra. After all, the information on other Jinchuuriki, limited as it is, remarks that most are exceptionally powerful—"

"Yes, exceptionally powerful, and a damned threat to everyone if they're not kept on a tight leash."

Eyes turned to Danzou, who stood firmly. His aged body, bearing the wounds of many a battle, held strong all the same as he interrupted Shibi. "The boy is a danger to the village if he's left unchecked, if the Hokage will permit it, I will take the boy under my wing and train him to have full control of his emotions, along with making him a vital asset to our security."

"You mean you want to turn him into one of your mentally crippled drones, Danzou?"

The old war-hawks eyes narrowed as he stared into the white globes of the Hyuuga head, and Hiashi actually stepped from his chair before pacing around to stand not facing Minato, but _beside_ him. "I have full faith in our Hokages choice. As dire as the risk may have been, what would the other consequence be? Kill the child and risk breaking the seal? I think not.", he turned to face the blond and met eyes, the gleaming blue of the Namikaze meeting the pale white of the Hyuuga.

"We trained together in the academy, we have been on many missions together when our genin teams ended, not once have you given me reason to doubt your judgement, Minato. The Hyuuga will pledge you full support.", reaching forward, he shook a firm handshake with his Hokage as a handful of the others began to stir in their seats. Within a minute, the heads of the Inuzuka, Aburame, Nara and Akimichi clans had risen.

"We, too, pledge our support to you, Hokage-sama.", said Chouza before casting a glance at Inoichi, yet to rise from his seat. A frown appeared on the portly mans face as he looked to his blond comrade. Surprised that Inoichi had not risen too, he shook his head. "The boy is not the fox-demon, Inoichi, surely you can understand that..?"

Growling, the blond male rose from his seat, shaking his head. "I will not pledge my support, _but_ I will not oppose your intents. I wish to have no part in this matter, I've got enough to handle just now, like burying the dead of my clan."

Minato lowered his head a little at that. He knew full well that many of the Yamanaka had fallen in defence of the village. With the exception of basic Academy jutsu and a few other scattered abilities, they were substantially reliant on their mind-control techniques. Something that had proven to be a failure in epic proportions against the Kyuubi. Grudging the Yamanaka for an inability to accept this would be unfair just now, and both Shikaku and Chouza seemed to think the same. They nodded silently to their comrade before eyes fell to Fugaku.

"Hn, so long as the boy shows no threat to the clan, the Uchiha have no objection."

"Sarutobi will pledge support to the Hokage"

Exhaling a mental sigh of relief, Minato knew that the seven of them would carry majority ruling for the council if his hand was forced. He couldn't cast his own vote, and Danzou was out; there was no shock there. The two remaining clan heads were willing to accept the child's place in light of the others decision, only Koharu and Homura had yet to speak. When the others took their seats again, both rose in turn and Homura opted to speak first.

"Namikaze Minato, your actions were rash and reckless, and however you choose to view it partly responsible for the death of the most talented medical ninja this village has ever produced. However, we cannot overlook that had you not taken such a risk, Konoha would likely lie in ruins. In light of your actions and the selfless attitude you applied to your decision, however brash it was, we will accept your word that the seal is suitable and the child will not be a danger to the village."

Clenching a fist tightly, he screamed an internal victory cry as he nodded, his head turning only when Koharu picked up where her aged teammate left off. "Regardless, the boy will be monitored by ANBU at all times when outside your supervision. We cannot take the risk, however small it is. Do you understand?"

Nodding, he gave a short bow to the two senior advisors, "Hai, I do. I thank you for your patience and support, councilmen. I understand that this is a difficult time for us all. I will see all of you at the memorial service"

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_Konoha Cemetery: Two Days Later_

The greying sky held fast overhead as the procession carried on, yet to loose any rain onto the service for those whose lives were lost in the fight against the Kyuubi. The jounin and chuunin who had fought and died were honoured on the memorial stone as was tradition to all ninja who fell in duty, but there was no doubt that one shinobi of the leaf was being honoured here above all.

Atop the Hokage tower, the remaining forces of Konohas shinobi stood gathered, their heads high and defiant, yet marred with deep sadness. Minato stood ahead of them, his hands clasped together in prayer and his head low.

'_Tsunade, you gave your life for mine. I can't even begin to think of how I can make up for what you did, but I promise you, on the will of fire that burns through my body, that Konoha will grow stronger, so no more ninja are forced to die like you had to. Thank you, Senju Tsunade. I owe you everything.'_

Exhaling slowly as he brought his head back up, he spoke slowly, needing no jutsu to carry his voice to the substantially smaller crowd of shinobi that stood behind him.

"We gather here to pay final respect to one of our greatest ninja, Senju Tsunade of the legendary Sannin, who fell in the line of duty after sacrificing her life…."

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The funeral passed in solemn silence, most of the ninja filing out steadily after paying their respects to the woman whose life had been lost saving that of their Hokages. In time, only Koharu, Sarutobi and Homura remained, standing in silence before the shrine laid out for the blonde medic. They remembered her well as a child, having been trained by her great-uncle and their team-mate having trained the three Sannin himself, and with faint smiles on their face they said their own final farewells in silence, bowing graciously. As they filtered away, Sarutobi gave a final glance over his shoulder, smiling at the mane of white hair that dropped onto the tiled ground silently and approached the shrine. Making no point of drawing attention to the toad-sennin, he continued away, leaving the man alone atop the Hokage tower.

Jiraiya, having watched the funeral from a distance, stood now inches from the shrine before lowering to his knees and bowing slowly. Hanging from his neck, a familiar green gem glinted in the waning daylight. Reaching for it, he clasped his palm around the small jewel, famed to be worth enough to buy two mountains, and squeezed it tightly. Its value was lost on the sennin, he would never trade it for anything, but he wanted to keep one last piece of his team-mate with him.

'_You hated this village for the losses you suffered to it in Dan and Nawaki, Tsunade, yet you still fought for it in its darkest hour. In the end, you truly loved Konoha.'_

Exhaling a ragged breath, he leaned his head back slowly and choked back a sob, gritting his teeth and crushing his eyes shut to stifle the tears. He would not weep here…He would not weep…

Despite all efforts, he couldn't force himself not to….

Spattered drops on the tiles in front of him betrayed the silent tears that trickled down his face for the second time in less than a week, and wiping them away he rose to his feet, the geta 'clopping' against the floor now that he had no need to try and hide his presence. Reaching into his vest pocket, he pulled a small bottle of sake out and unplugged the top. Sipping a mouthful slowly, he set the rest of the bottle down in front of one of the framed pictures that had been stood up amongst the incense and flowers. Running his fingers against the glass of the picture frame, he smiled and turned away slowly, walking to the edge of the tower. Pausing at the ledge, he glanced back over his shoulder before leaping off…

_Farewell, Tsunade-hime._

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A/N: Next time, the real story begins! Timeskip will be to roughly the start of the series, but with my own delightfully evil twist on it all. Your reviews are my crack, get me hooked and I'll write more for my next fix.


	3. Chapter 1: Graduation

A/N: Alright, first of all I should apologise for never coming back to this when I'd suggested I would continue it from being a one-shot, which had been my original intentions before foolishly thinking I could carry it on. I figured it wouldn't be half as difficult as I've found it to write, but it's thrown me for six trying to think of where I planned to take this. However, little ideas come and go every so often, so I've taken to writing them down and expanding on them.

I can't promise anything, but I'll give it a try to keep something going on this. Needless to say the chapter is quite short, so I apologise.

_Twelve years later..._

"Alright Naruto, you know the drill. Show us a henge, a kawarimi, and a bunshin if you would...."

With a wry grin, the blond shifted his gaze between the two instructors who sat before him. Nodding as his smile threatened to split his face in half. This would be an...interesting way to gain his genin status, especially since both instructors still believed him incapable of forming the standard clone jutsu. The knowledge of the fox he held inside him made it clear early on that his chakra levels were obscene, not just for an academy student but even compared against a high-end jounin, so minimising his chakra output to execute the clone jutsu had proven an inescapably impossible task throughout his tenure at the school. Neither Mizuki nor Iruka had any idea that he had found --thanks to his fathers 'subtle' assistance-- a loophole to the examination.

"Sure thing, Henge!"

With a fazed shift in the area around the blond boy, his form took on that of his father perfectly, down to the 'yondaime' cloak he wore over his regular attire, and twirling an insubstantial tri-pronged kunai on one finger with a smirk on his face. He held the henge as his instructors nodded, accepting the demonstration as acceptable, and he dispelled it quickly before shifting immediately to the next. In an instant he appeared on the other side of the room, a small plume of smoke obscuring the switch he made with a chair that had been stacked against the wall to make room for the tests. As an afterthought he re-did the technique to replace the chair, sending his body to the spot in front of the instructors desk and undoing his previous action.

A nod came from both of the chuunin sitting in front of him; an approving one from the raven-haired Iruka who gave a small, polite smile to his hokages son despite their extracurricular friendship, and a muted yet grudging one from Mizuki, who simply waited for the blond to mess up on the final of the three passing requirements...

"Alright, Naruto-kun, let's see the bunshin, I hope you've been practicing with your father...", spitefully, yet with just enough respect feigned that both present gave no further thought to it, Mizuki watched his unwanted student smirk even wider than before as he brought his hands up in a seal. Pausing for a second, the son of the fourth spoke with a brief chuckle in his voice.

"Tou-san was kind enough to point out that any clone would be enough to pass, the bunshin is just the easiest on chakra, so this should be enough to pass me, right?"

Iruka cocked an eyebrow at that remark, curious to what his student was alluding to, before a call of 'Kage Bunshin no Jutsu' caused the other eyebrow to raise in surprise...Not just at the technique, goodness knows he was aware of his students chakra reserves being suffice to meet the obscene requirements for that technique, but the fact he stood looking at eleven Narutos. Ten clones plus their creator...

'For the love of...Ten clones! Even for a jounin that'd be enough to put him out with exhaustion for a day or so, and it doesn't even look like he's fazed!'

Right enough, Naruto seemed beyond relaxed as he called forth the ten corporeal images of himself, and each one stood close to the desk extending their arms to ascertain that they were in fact, solid clones. With a cursory prod at the few within direct reach, Mizuki bit down on his tongue to stifle his distaste...Academy teachers with sufficient reserves were permitted to learn the technique, allowing them to divide the classes where needed with equal tuition capabilities, but the absolute most he could manage was two without palpable stress on his body, three in dire moments. The notion that a student, not even a _genin_ could manage ten without even breaking a sweat felt like a bigger insult than he could tolerate. However, through bitten teeth he nodded in acceptance at the blond, reaching in front of him for the hitai-ate they had laid out in assumption that their hokages son would pass.

"Excellent, Naruto. Congratulations, you've passed the exam. Go ahead and rejoin your classmates..."

_--Elsewhere, atop the Hokage tower--_

Another blond stood against the railings, half-hunched as his arms supported his weight. Closing his eyes as he sucked in a breath of the cool air, a sigh escaped him as his thoughts continued to swim around in his head.

Over a decade had gone by, a decade in which every day the same two thoughts came to him at least once. First was of his beloved wife, Kushina, and even now the sting of losing her still ached the very core of his being. Part of him knew that it would have been selfish to deny his son a father, if he were to pass his mind away from the titanic beast that had been looming over the village, but that same part of him had been so broken by the loss of his lover that he was prepared to die, not just to save Konoha, but to see her again...

In an ironic twist, Tsunade-samas miraculous sacrifice had prevented him from that, and every time that notion crossed his mind he chided himself bitterly, praying silently to whatever deity listened to a soul like his for the disrespectful thoughts. Yes, he would have to wait to see his wife once more, but every day the sight of his sons face, so much like his own at first glance would show him little things that he could recall about the former Whirlpool kunoichi. The tan complexion a shade or two darker than his own; the glint of cunning mischief in his eyes; even the very smile on Narutos face reminded his father of the redhead, and they always revitalised his resolve whenever he faltered. Until the day he would see his wife again, he would remain strong and protect the village they had loved.

"Hokage-sama?"

Turning his head to the voice, a curious look in his eyes at the chuunin kunoichi who'd been assigned secretarial duties, he waited for her to respond. Unlike many who had been drafted this mission, he had kept her on permanent duty for two simple reasons. Firstly, she could function in conversation with a man widely accepted as Konohas most eligible bachelor without stammering or blushing at his face. The attention was flattering, of course, but while a date or two had been attempted Minato had no patience for subservient women who idealised him. That had earned the brunette approaching him a slight increase in mission pay plus an politely extended offer to continue indefinitely.

Secondly was her rapport with Naruto, who whilst widely given respect as the son of the Hokage, was still viewed with wary eyes by some as a result of his tenant, almost exclusively by the ninja populace. Most knew to trust the boys father, but the power of that demon had been so intense that forgetting was a lot harder, and thus to give a wider berth to the blond was the easiest option on hand for them. Mihiko on the other hand had no such qualms, and even served as a verbal sparring partner for the prospective Genin when he acted up, with no fear of his tenant or the possibility of it escaping. THAT had earned her an even larger pay rise and a formal request to her captain for her services in the tower...

"Yes, Mihiko-chan, is there something I can help you with?" he replied eventually, a moment of silence hanging as he allowed her to walk a little closer.

"Nothing pressing, really. A few mission reports came in from the genin teams, but I was more concerned for you at the moment. These last couple of days, it's like you've drawn into yourself, it's...", sighing, she looked dead at the kage with a solid gaze in her eyes. "May I speak freely, Hokage-sama?"

Minatos eyes rolled at the use of the title, much as he conceded that the clan-heads and lower ninjas would take nothing shy of sessions with T&I to break that habit, he had made it clear to Mihiko that she was permitted, nay encouraged to call him Minato. He may have been the Hokage, but he knew his beginnings and at heart was a humble man. "Of course you may, Mihiko, speak away."

A hint of hesitation before she began, but the young woman knew she had to get her words off her chest. "I know that Kushina-samas birthday is approaching, sir. Is that what has been preying on your mind?"

A pregnant silence hung over the rooftop as Minatos head turned back to face out over the village, partly because whilst he had no reason to be cross with his assistant the verbal affirmation of his unrest still stung slightly. A simple nod of the head confirmed her thoughts, and the scuff of her sandals across the tiled surface led her to stand at his side, matching his action. Thankfully, Mihiko was not so quickly emotional as many women could be in such situations, and instead stood in silence beside her superior for a few minutes and watched over the village with him.

As a hand rested atop his forearm, lightly gripping it in a non-verbal gesture of solidarity -her father and uncle both having been killed in the frontlines against the fox-, she smiled without turning her head, speaking again to break the silence. "You know, she would be so proud of you Minato...Both you and Naruto."

Lightly turning her head to look at him from the corner of her eye, his own following suit, the pair smiled with the faintest of curls in their lips. Patting his forearm as she stepped back, she turned to head back into the tower, leaving the Hokage to his devices before his voice caught her as she departed.

"Thank you, Mihiko...."

_--The Academy courtyard--_

"This is awesome! I can't believe I finally get to start doing missions now!"

The young blonds cry was loud enough that the three standing with him winced a tad at the volume, yet their own grins at passing didn't diminish in the slightest. Shikamaru, Chouji and Kiba all stood with their own gleaming hitai-ates fastened, and each was as elated as the blond with them. Of course, part of that was simply an eagerness to get out of the classroom, and not so much the prospect of doing missions, particularly in the Naras case.

"I still can't believe I lost out on ranking top to Sasuke though, I was sure I'd have him pegged in ninjutsu..." he muttered, the good mood slightly soured by his loss to the raven-haired Uchiha. The first couple of years, the competition between the two had been good natured, and certainly served to help the pair as they shared ideas and assistance. Hardly bosom buddies but certainly friendly enough to merit the goodwill. However, after the bloodshed at the Uchiha compound in their third year, Sasuke completely withdrawn himself. Despite his best efforts to try and rekindle the friendship shared, Naruto had hit nothing but brick walls, serving only to infuriate him at the Uchihas utter dereliction of companionship. It didn't make sense to the blond, if -kami forbid- his family had been slain, he would have relied on those outside friendships to maintain his sanity. But, no, instead that raven-haired bastard just wallowed in his own anger and self-pity...Sometimes he wondered why he tried to be nice to him any more.

He sighed inwardly, his eyes shading over as he looked at his feet for a moment. [i]'Well, that's easy. If Tsunade-sama hadn't saved tou-sans life, I'd probably not be in a much better situation. I just wish he'd let someone in again...'[/i]

A shoulder nudge from the Inuzuka knocked him from his contemplative moment, and he blinked as the canine-trainer laughed. "Ha! Yeah, you only lost because you've been pulling your punches since day one, I bet. I mean, your dad's the Hokage, I bet he's taught you all kinds of cool stuff, right? You just can't show us them or something, isn't that right, 'honorable son'?"

A scowl emerged on the blonds face as Kibas little 'jibe' sent the other two into a desperately muted snickering frenzy, and Naruto sprung at Kiba with a punch to his chin before the Inuzuka stepped aside. This routine had gone on since the first week at the academy for them all, and it was generally known that three things were 'law' to their graduating class.

1. Never insult Sasuke in front of one of his damnable fan-girls if you have any love for your eardrums.

2. Never call Chouji 'fat', for the love of all things holy!

3. Never, EVER refer to Naruto with a 'noble' title. Just....don't. Four years of fangirls, those who didn't fawn over Sasuke, constantly referring to him as 'Naruto-sama' and 'the honorable son' had given the blond a particular distaste for the title. He loved his father and one day wanted to take the Hokage title himself, but damned if he wouldn't do it with his own strengths, not the legacy of another...

"Damnit Kiba, can't you just give up with calling him that? You know he doesn't like being in his fathers shadow." came the exasperated interjection from the Nara as he formed his clan seal, catching the blond in his shadow possession, much to Narutos chagrin as he struggled all the while.

"Oh, I know, but it's funny as hell seeing him get all riled up"

"Yeah, real funny, how about I stop holding him back and let him pop you one, hm?" shot back the shadow-user with a deviously cocked eyebrow.

"...Y-you wouldn't..." stammered the feral-looking ninja, his feet taking him a step or two back as the blond continued to hold the pose identical to his captor, eyes burning holes through his friend.

Shikamaru, instead, just smirked at Kiba before a soft chuckle left his lips. "Naruto?"

The blond, unable to turn his head and facing away from the Nara thanks to the jutsus hold, stopped struggling for a moment, suddenly liking where this was going. "Yeah?"

"Have fun, but don't mess him up too much. He might be on one of our teams after all..."

A sudden, vulpine grin spread on the blonds face as he glared at Kiba. "Start running, mutt-boy..."

"Shikamaru!" pleaded the shaggy-haired Inuzuka, as he quickly turned on his heels and got a few strides into his sprint away, just as the shadow-user released his jutsu, causing the blond to burst off in full pelt, the sounds of Kibas anguished cries lingering in the air.

"Neh, Shikamaru...You don't think Naruto will hurt him too badly, do you?" the quietly observing Akimichi remarked, the bag of chips in his hand going uneaten during the entire exchange.

The genius youth turned to his oldest friend with a shrug and a smile, "Nah, he'll probably just give Kiba a reason to hold his tongue in future."

From the other side of the courtyard they saw Naruto close in on Kiba as he formed a 'familiar' handseal, and both cringed at the words and sight before them as Naruto delivered his attack.

"Hidden Leaf secret taijutsu: A Thousand Years Of Death!"

"GAAAAAAAAAH!"

"....You think we should help Kiba?" asked Chouji, a slight cringe on his face as he watched the dog-user get launched away from the 'attack', clutching his rear in pain even as Naruto continued to pursue him, the handseal prepared for a repeat strike.

Wincing as Kiba was sent skyrocketing once again, Shikamaru shook his head emphatically. "No, Chouji, I believe it would be most troublesome..."


	4. Adoption notice, authors please note!

Unsurprising as it may be, I'm curious if there's a notable author out there who might like to take this story and expand upon it from where I am. My original intents to carry on have been, quite frankly, fucked royally by military duty. I serve in the Navy as one of the fine servicemen protecting your arses (and all other kinds of patriotic shite, insert here). That aside however, I will simply say that I lack the time and inclination to expand upon my story. I originally intended Her Sacrifice as a one-shot depicting Tsunade saving Minato's life, but the seeds of a full-length story plot lingered.

If someone wished to take this on I have a few stipulations I'd like to see adhered to, negotiable in some cases.

Firstly, no 'super' Naruto. Minato trains him as a capable genin, not an overpowered one. At best, by the exams he should be mid-chuunin level.

Next, the wave arc is optional, but team placements are up for debate. Kakashi as jounin-sensei should be a given, but whether Sasuke and Sakura are teamed are up for REASONABLE debate.

Thirdly, Jiraiyas personality would be an amalgam of his own and Tsunades. Bitter towards Konoha for the losses suffered, but still loyal via the spy network. Loves his pupil but hates the fact he lost Tsunade to keep him alive, so on so forth. He would be a good teacher but a generally shitty person to talk to at first.

Fourth, with the fox out of the bag the villagers are decent to Naruto. By no means are they adoring him at every step, but as a WHOLE they're polite. Some worship him for who he is, some acknowledge him as a ninja, some as the son of their Hokage, some still see him as the fox.

Fifth, the 'oc' Mihiko does NOT pair up with Minato. She was simply a logical product of what I imagined the Hokage would want. A stong, capable ninja who can do their job without descending into adulation to their leaders title. The fact she is female was convenient.

Sixth, while canon is crucial, an attention to 'reality' would be appreciated. See 'The Sealed Kunai' or 'Naruto: Captured' for examples. You'll understand what I mean.

Pairings are up to the adoptive author, but for the love of god please have them legally able to get laid, and have it make sense.

If anything remains for discussion feel free to ask me about it in the adoption PM, I look forward to hearing from you. I just want to see what I think has potential as a story get some recognition.

~Headfcuked.


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